Blue has a long and topsy-turvy history in the Western world. Once considered a hot color, it is now icy cool. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now pick it as their favorite color. In this entertaining history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing meanings of blue from its rare appearances in prehistoric art to its international ubiquity today in blue jeans and Gauloises cigarette packs. Any history of color is, above all, a social history. ...
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Blue has a long and topsy-turvy history in the Western world. Once considered a hot color, it is now icy cool. The ancient Greeks scorned it as ugly and barbaric, but most Americans and Europeans now pick it as their favorite color. In this entertaining history, the renowned medievalist Michel Pastoureau traces the changing meanings of blue from its rare appearances in prehistoric art to its international ubiquity today in blue jeans and Gauloises cigarette packs. Any history of color is, above all, a social history. Pastoureau investigates how the ever-changing role of blue in society has been reflected in manuscripts, stained glass, heraldry, clothing, paintings, and popular culture. Beginning with the almost total absence of blue from ancient Western art and language, the story moves to medieval Europe. As people began to associate blue with the Virgin Mary, the color entered the Church despite the efforts of chromophobic prelates. Blue was reborn as a royal color in the twelfth century and functioned as a formidable political and military force through the French Revolution. As blue triumphed in the modern era, new shades were created, and blue became the color of romance. Finally, Pastoureau follows blue into contemporary times, when military clothing gave way to the everyday uniform of blue jeans, and blue became the universal and unifying color of the Earth as seen from space. With an exceptionally elegant design and strikingly illustrated with one hundred color plates, "Blue" tells the fascinating history of our favorite color and the cultures that have hated it, loved it, and created great art with it.
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Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $11.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
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Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $19.99, very good condition, Sold by Crestview Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Westerville, OH, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
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Very Good in Very Good jacket. Size: 9x0x9; Gently used, almost new hardback and jacket. Only slight wear. Odor free. No owners' names or labels. Dust jacket is enclosed in a clear protective cover. Text is clean, unmarked. First edition, 1st printing. Full number line with "1". (Shelf: f3) Books are carefully sealed in waterproof mailers and then boxed to prevent damage during transit.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $25.00, very good condition, Sold by Kenneth Mallory, ABAA rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Decatur, GA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $29.00, good condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $35.00, fair condition, Sold by Found Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $41.15, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $42.50, new condition, Sold by Chidoc5 Rare Books rated 3.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Highland Park, IL, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $49.95, like new condition, Sold by West Coast Bookseller rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Moorpark, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
Add this copy of Blue: the History of a Color to cart. $74.70, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Princeton University Press.
The book arrived a few days ahead of schedule and was in the condition listed by the seller.
The only glitch was the tracking code, which showed the book being delivered to a US address rather than to its destination in Canada. As the seller explained by e-mail, this was a forwarding address for international shipments. It would have been nice to have known this prior to the book being shipped.
Patricia R
Mar 5, 2013
book order
Book arrived as described, good service. Would use again and recommend to others. Postage took a while, due to customs but understand this is out of the suppliers control.
